Thelocactus garciae Glass & M. Mendoza, Ident. Guide Threatened Cacti of Mexico 1: TH/GA (1997).
A complexus T. conothele membris differt, quia exhibet efferentiores tuberculos ex magis fusco colore, qui fulvi sunt; quia productionem spinarum habet distinctam, et quia notens color roseus eius florum habet medio obscuriorem lineam. Differt etiam a complexus T. tulensis membris, quia tinctura cius stipitis est quidam viridis simplicior; etiam quia exhibet quatordecim radiales spinas et non sex illas vel septem T. tulensis, aut septem illas vel octo T. buekii aut septem T. matudae; tandem quia color eius florum differens est roseo ex colore cum fimbra cunte ab albo ad croceum T. tulensis et colore a rubro purpureo aut purpura rubente T. buekii et T. matudae.
Holotipo: JAG 383, Tamaulipas, Municipio de Bustamante; depositado en el Herbario CANTE bajo el número 456.
Description
Plant
Stem dull, pale green bronzing to dull purple red in sun and cold, 12 cm in diameter, 7.5 cm high, solitary or occasionally sparingly cespitose. Ribs completely divided into tubercles, these generally arranged in 8 and 13 spirals, about 15 mm high and 15 mm wide at base. Spiniferous areoles displaced slightly below tip on outer side of rounded tubercle, the floriferous portion a narrow extension approximately 3 or 4 mm long on the inner side of the tubercle tip. Radial spines of two types, 7 heavy acicular in lower half of areole, spreading, radiating, and 7 in the upper half, fine acicular, almost bristle-like. Central spines 4, lowest to 60 (occasionally to 67) mm long, ca. 2 mm wide near base, subulate, slightly deflexed from porrect and somewhat down-curving, dull gray tipped brownish. Lateral centrals spreading-ascending and uppermost sub erect, all 3 variably 30-50 mm long.
Flowers
Flowers in December through February, (20-)30-40 mm in diam., 30-35 mm long, with a tube 7.5 mm in diam.; outer perianth segments scale-like, pale dull green with whitish margins and pinkish tip; inner perianth segments 3.5-5.5 mm wide at widest point, palest translucent shiny pink, with darker pink mid stripe, darker and broader towards the base, rarely almost pale translucent creamy white, even on same plants as pale rose flowers, tip acute, margins entire; filaments whitish yellow, from 5 to 12 mm long, with bright yellow anthers; style bright yellow, tinged pink towards base and towards base of stigma, 25 mm long including 6-7 yellow 3 mm long stigma lobes.
Fruit
Subglobose at first, elongating at maturity to 20 mm long, ca. 13 mm wide, purplish red fading to yelowish towards the base, with small, triangular scales, ca. 3 mm wide, ca. 2,5 mm long, acute tip and center purplish red, base and margins pale, spaced about 5 mm apart, fruit dehiscing basally, leaving large, roundish aperture at base, ca. 11 mm wide, ca. 12 mm long, dried perianth persisting. Seeds rather large, irregularly curved, ca. 2 mm long, ca. a.5 [sic] mm thick, with black, tuberculate testa and wide hilum and constriction hilum.
Comparison
This is a very problematic plant, with strong similiarities to both the T. conothele and T. tulensis complexes, but including it in either until its relationships are better understood would tend to blur the limitations of those already overloaded complexes. It differs from the members of the T. conothele complex by its darker green, bronzing, more prominent tubercles and different spination and distinct flower color of shiny pink with darker mid-stripe. It differs from members of the T. tulensis complex by its greener stem color, and radial spine count of 14 as compared to 6-7 for T. tulensis, 7-8 for T. buekii and 7 for T. matudae, and by the flower color, pink and white striped to yellow for T. tulensis and purplish red or reddish purple for T. buekii and T. matudae.
